Crystals
The crystals are what powers the world of magic that has come to be. Overview It seems that a Wizard cannot access his powers until he uses a crystal, either intentionally or inadvertently. If a Wizard touches a crystal it activates automatically (unless he wills it otherwise. check this!). If he touches several crystals simultaneously, they are combined. When a Wizard establishes himself, a cave full of crystals appears in close proximity. The size and therefore initial power of the cave is determined by the Wizard's natural ability. If he wants to augment his raw power, there are several ways to achieve this. {Only if they are a full Wizard or a wizard "improved" at the end of the fringe. See 'The Departure' R J Murray} One, he finds an 'unlinked' cave and either waits till it recognizes him or he can remove it's contents and add them to his own cave. Two, kill another Wizard and steal his cave and/or crystals. Third, he can kill someone against a goblin crystal, and as the person dies, push his power through the body and into the crystal. Through means not yet understood, for every person that is killed in this way a definite and noticeable increase in the Wizard's power is observed. {This is a species related method used only by Goblin Wizards. By draining the victims life force into the dark crystal, the Goblin is able to increase their abilities. R J Murray} Technology The crystals are at the heart of much of the Triad technology and once a few discoveries were made, anyone with the right equipment could use them. Ni-cad batteries were not affected chemically by the Event, and so once steam power was up and running, they charged them with DC power. Benton, Suki, and Ben worked together and built devices that used to DC current to power the crystals. When a Wizard uses a crystal, it gradually shrinks through continued use. The factors that seem to effect the rate of consumption are the Wizard's experience, specialties, what type of Wizard they are, and whether they have used a Meld stone. Types This is a list of the known stones and their properties with a fuller exposition at the bottom when warranted. Furthermore, any combo powers are not mentioned in this table. *The Lite Stone' produces a million candle power with no heat. Often used as the test stone for the purpose of identifying potential Wizards. *The Booster amplifies different stones differently. it only makes the Lite a small amount brighter, but the Thruster, Fire, Flier, ......... stones are amplified tenfold. *The smallest Flier (three inches long), when combined with a booster has enough power to lift a grown man. *The Floaters effect is not determined by distance to the ground. * Combos *Two Boosters together allow a Wizard to perceive others around him, even at great distances, as well as glimpse their location. While normal people appear ghostly, other Wizards look solid if a normal Wizard is using them. The range is not known, it is at least several hundred miles. If two Wizards work together, they can augment the effect or communicate over hundreds and perhaps even thousands of miles. Also, since Christine has a talent with them, she is able to use this combo to far greater effect. When she and John use them together, they can see and hear with perfect clarity a great distance away. It is unclear if this combination becomes the Com stones used later, for this use of the Boosters is only discussed in the beginning, and the Com stones are used soon after without any introduction. They can also be used for a form of mental Scrying. *{Sorry for the confusion. It seemed perfectly clear to me when I wrote it. Two boosters make up a com or Com Link. Christine, who has the best power for the coms, worked with Jenny and Tasha to improve the workings so that anyone with a com link could speak with anyone else with a com link. Eventually she also improved the coms to the point where you could chose whether or not you could see the other person. It is like using your video cam on your computer. You don't always want to be seen. I explain this a bit better in the next book, Elizabeth, assuming I ever finish it. * Range is a different matter, and I will go over it in Elizabeth as well. When the fringe left and the new (old) universe set in permanently, the coms lost range. Before they were world wide, because they used existing satellites to bounce the signals. When the fringe left, the satellites failed and range was limited to a few hundred miles. The range can be extended by use of a relay station such as the Icarus. R J Murray} Growth and Healing Crystals slowly grow over time in the right conditions. While many scenarios are possible, it seems that salt water is one of the most helpful in both growing and healing. If a crystal is moved from one cave to another, it may grow differently in the new cave, adding new elements to its structure and therefore changing its properties. Finally, if a dragon sleeps near damaged crystals, they will heal more rapidly than if any other remedy is applied. Miscellaneous Silver reflects the heat of a garnet very well. A Wizard can use copper or brass (possibly any metal?) to transfer his power through a crystal or to activate weapons. Leather insulates the crystal from Wizard contact. The small crystal chamber on the coast the John discovered contained enough crystals to fill a Single to the brim. Even considering breaking the large crystals off at the base gave John, Beth, and Jenny bad feelings.Category:Magic